Time Capsules

In the simplest terms, a time capsule is a receptacle containing objects chosen as representative of the current age and preserved for future discovery. Contents of time capsules should ideally provide a genuine sense of the time period represented. For that reason, written messages and items reflecting popular culture are often included. A well-conceived time capsule can effectively bridge the gap between the present and the future.

A distinction has been made between a “real” time capsule and other experiences that provide insight into earlier cultures. Specific examples include sunken ships, archaeological sites, libraries, and archives. Forerunners of modern time capsules can be found in artifacts discovered in building foundations in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and in cornerstone dedications such as the one that took place at the York Cathedral in 1361. By the late 19th century, it was common in the United States for organizations and businesses to include time capsules in local and national ceremonies.

Many time capsules have a target date for opening, making it important to use materials that will last, to find a secure place for storage, and to record the capsule's location. Just one of many examples of lost capsules is the George Washington Cornerstone, laid in 1793 by Washington at the dedication of the U.S. Capitol. A centennial time capsule was introduced during the 1876 U.S. International Centennial Philadelphia Exhibition. It was opened by President Gerald Ford in the 1976 Bicentennial year. Now called the Centennial Safe, it is available for public viewing through a glass door in the Capitol Building.

The term time capsule was not introduced until the 1939 New York World's Fair. Constructed of copper, chromium, and silver, it was intended to last until 6936. Its contents include fabrics, metals, plastics, art objects, microfilm describing contemporary events, and common items such as fountain pens. Even more ambitious are millennial time capsules. An example is the 2,000-cubic-foot Crypt of Civilization, conceived by Oglethorpe University's president, Thornwell Jacobs. Its contents were sealed in an exhibition room on May 28, 1940, with plans for opening on May 28, 8113. It includes thousands of items, ranging from newsreels to a Donald Duck doll.

Use of time capsules has become common enough to be applied in the classroom, encouraging children to reflect on their own lives and note changes that occur over time.

One example of applying time capsules in outer space is the golden recording placed by NASA on Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. Its contents could conceivably portray the diversity of earthly life and culture to extraterrestrials. There are many possibilities for creating time capsules in cyberspace. An example was seen when MIT's Sloan School of Management encrypted digital samples to represent the online world in the year 1999.

Time capsules illustrate a belief in the importance of the present and optimism about the future. When a capsule is opened by a future generation, it could be described as having achieved a kind of time travel.